NEW DELHI: Vishwa Hindu Parishad on Tuesday extended an invitation to former Deputy Prime Minister LK Advani and Union Minister Murli Manohar Joshi for the upcoming grand consecration of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya next month. This invitation comes in the context of the temple trust advising the two stalwarts from the Bharatiya Janata Party against attending the consecration event due to considerations of age and health.
Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) president Alok Kumar said that both BJP veterans said that they will try their best to attend the January 22 event.
“The pioneers of the Ram Mandir movement, Advani ji and Murli Manohar Joshi ji were invited to attend the consecration ceremony (/topic/consecration-ceremony). Both of them said that they will try their best to come,” the VHP quoted president Alok Kumar as saying on X.
Advani, aged 96, and Joshi, who will celebrate his 90th birthday next month, played pivotal roles in the Ram Temple movement. This movement ultimately led to the Supreme Court’s landmark decision on November 9, 2019, favoring the Hindu side in the long-standing title dispute case.
The court decreed the allocation of the disputed land to a trust for the construction of the Ram Janmabhoomi temple. Additionally, the court mandated the provision of five acres of land to the Muslim side as compensation for the construction of a mosque.
Speaking to reporters on Monday, Champat Rai, the general secretary of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra, said,
“Both are elders in the (Sangh) family and considering their age, they have been requested not to come (to Ayodhya for the consecration event). Both have accepted our request.”
PM Modi is scheduled to participate in the placement of the idol of Ram Lalla at the majestic temple on January 22. Extensive preparations are in progress for this significant occasion, expected to attract dignitaries and individuals from diverse backgrounds.
Champat Rai said a total of 13 Akharas, including 150 sages and saints from different traditions and Shankaracharyas from six philosophy traditions, will take part in the grand event. “About four thousand saints have been invited to the programme. Apart from this, invitations have also been sent to 2,200 other guests,” he said.
He informed further that heads of major temples like Kashi Vishwanath, and Vaishnodevi, and representatives of religious and constitutional institutions have also been invited.
“Spiritual guru Dalai Lama, Mata Amritanandamayi of Kerala, yoga guru Baba Ramdev, actors Rajnikanth, Amitabh Bachchan, Madhuri Dixit, Arun Govil (who played Lord Ram in the television series ‘Ramayana’), filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar and leading industrialists Mukesh Ambani, Anil Ambani, famous painter Vasudev Kamat, ISRO’s Director Nilesh Desai and many other well-known personalities will also be present at the consecration ceremony ,” he added. “After the consecration ceremony, Mandal Puja will be held for 48 days from January 24, in line with the North Indian tradition.
At the same time, from January 23, common people will be able to have a darshan (sighting) of Lord Ram. Proper arrangements have been made for the guests to stay at more than three places in Ayodhya… 600 rooms have been made available by various monasteries, temples, and household families and Bhandaras will also become a regular affair at three major places from December 25,” Rai added.
Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) president Alok Kumar said that both BJP veterans said that they will try their best to attend the January 22 event.
“The pioneers of the Ram Mandir movement, Advani ji and Murli Manohar Joshi ji were invited to attend the consecration ceremony (/topic/consecration-ceremony). Both of them said that they will try their best to come,” the VHP quoted president Alok Kumar as saying on X.
Advani, aged 96, and Joshi, who will celebrate his 90th birthday next month, played pivotal roles in the Ram Temple movement. This movement ultimately led to the Supreme Court’s landmark decision on November 9, 2019, favoring the Hindu side in the long-standing title dispute case.
The court decreed the allocation of the disputed land to a trust for the construction of the Ram Janmabhoomi temple. Additionally, the court mandated the provision of five acres of land to the Muslim side as compensation for the construction of a mosque.
Speaking to reporters on Monday, Champat Rai, the general secretary of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra, said,
“Both are elders in the (Sangh) family and considering their age, they have been requested not to come (to Ayodhya for the consecration event). Both have accepted our request.”
PM Modi is scheduled to participate in the placement of the idol of Ram Lalla at the majestic temple on January 22. Extensive preparations are in progress for this significant occasion, expected to attract dignitaries and individuals from diverse backgrounds.
Champat Rai said a total of 13 Akharas, including 150 sages and saints from different traditions and Shankaracharyas from six philosophy traditions, will take part in the grand event. “About four thousand saints have been invited to the programme. Apart from this, invitations have also been sent to 2,200 other guests,” he said.
He informed further that heads of major temples like Kashi Vishwanath, and Vaishnodevi, and representatives of religious and constitutional institutions have also been invited.
“Spiritual guru Dalai Lama, Mata Amritanandamayi of Kerala, yoga guru Baba Ramdev, actors Rajnikanth, Amitabh Bachchan, Madhuri Dixit, Arun Govil (who played Lord Ram in the television series ‘Ramayana’), filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar and leading industrialists Mukesh Ambani, Anil Ambani, famous painter Vasudev Kamat, ISRO’s Director Nilesh Desai and many other well-known personalities will also be present at the consecration ceremony ,” he added. “After the consecration ceremony, Mandal Puja will be held for 48 days from January 24, in line with the North Indian tradition.
At the same time, from January 23, common people will be able to have a darshan (sighting) of Lord Ram. Proper arrangements have been made for the guests to stay at more than three places in Ayodhya… 600 rooms have been made available by various monasteries, temples, and household families and Bhandaras will also become a regular affair at three major places from December 25,” Rai added.